How to Avoid Gaining Weight on Vacation

For many of us, the joys of extended travel are many and tend to far outweigh any of the negative aspects. One thing that you need to be wary of while on extended travels is the extra weight that you will undoubtedly be carrying when you return home. I’m not talking about the extra souvenirs in your bag. I am talking about the spare tire that you will be smuggling around your waist line. One of the joys of traveling is getting to step out of your every day routine and getting a chance to sample lots of different foods and enjoying lots of drinks with the people that you meet along the way. Unfortunately, this can lead to the development of an unsightly Buddha belly. There are simple tips that you can take to minimise the impact that extended travel can have on your gut. • Walk. Plain and simple. Walk everywhere you can and avoid using cabs, buses, trains or trams for short journeys. This will help burn some extra calories and help you earn those extra beers. This is especially easy if you are in Europe. Most European cities have so many sites to see that you could literally spend all day walking around. • Get active. Try some new activities that will keep you moving. Climb a volcano. Go kayaking. Learn to surf. Go for a bike ride. These are all great experiences and they will help you stay fit. • Go running. Running around a city in the early morning is a great way to experience a place before the rest of the tourists wake up. • Develop a hotel/ hostel exercise routine. There are lots of exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own room that will help keep you in shape. Try doing some push ups, sit ups, lunges and squats. This is a great way to get your metabolism going first thing in the morning. • Try not to start drinking too early on in the day. If you can hold off for a few more hours, you will end up ingesting fewer calories throughout the day. The added bonus of this is that there is a smaller chance of you waking up in the morning feeling like rubbish. • Make breakfast or lunch your main meal of the day. This means that you will be consuming the majority of your calories when you need them. • Pack food for long journeys. If you are going on a long journey, there is a good chance that the food on offer along the way will be less than healthy. Before you leave, stock up on some healthy snacks or meals. • Drink water. It gets your metabolism going and will keep you from constantly snacking.